A Sacramento Bee employee pleaded no contest Tuesday to possession of child pornography and invasion of privacy.
Gilbert Chan, a veteran business reporter, was caught by University of California, Davis, police on Feb. 3 while surreptitiously videotaping a youth cheerleading competition on campus, Deputy District Rob Gorman told a judge in Yolo Superior Court. Chan was not on duty at the time of the incident, and remains on administrative leave from the paper.
Under an agreement with prosecutors, Chan pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of invasion of privacy. Under a no-contest plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but the effect is substantively the same. He also pleaded no contest to a felony charge of possession of child pornography. The tape focused on the buttocks and other parts of clothed cheerleaders. The cheerleaders were under 18.
The felony charge will be dropped if Chan completes probation on the misdemeanor count, Gorman said. One of the requirements is that Chan stay away from events where cheerleaders perform, the prosecutor said.
Under the agreement, Chan does not have to register as a sex offender unless he fails to complete probation. If Chan fails to complete probation, the felony plea will be entered and Chan will be required to register as a sex offender for life, Gorman said.
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